The World of College Basketball

[Reslife4Life]

1 hour ago, RoyalBlu said:

I wonder if folks truly understand how much $$$ is at stake for the MAC getting a second bid? It's not a 1-year payday, it's a 5-year payday, and higher if one or both MAC teams advance a round or two.

 

Being a Top 12 league may have been enough to get Miami an at-large. Now, giving Miami an at-large only incentivizes other teams to play weak schedules, build gaudy records, then expect the NCAA to give them a pass into the tournament. Believe me, the NCAA is not going to open that can of worms by giving Miami an at-large bid.

 

The only way Miami gets an at large is if they go 33-1 and lose to us in the final. And that's if its a championship game like last year. Even if you have *insert mid-major team here* with a non-conference schedule like Miami's they still have to play at least 18 conference games, and going undefeated in that is no cakewalk. Even if Western Kentucky plays the entire NEC and SWAC in noncon that isn't going to help them prepare for the conference schedule, much less a conference tournament

[kreed5120]

2 minutes ago, Reslife4Life said:

The only way Miami gets an at large is if they go 33-1 and lose to us in the final. And that's if its a championship game like last year. Even if you have *insert mid-major team here* with a non-conference schedule like Miami's they still have to play at least 18 conference games, and going undefeated in that is no cakewalk. Even if Western Kentucky plays the entire NEC and SWAC in noncon that isn't going to help them prepare for the conference schedule, much less a conference tournament

 

Yes, I'm still not penciling Miami winning out this regular season, but the pathway looks more manageable now. The last team to go undefeated in MAC conference play was Miami in 1958. Back then the conference season was only 12 games.

 

People act like Miami has created this path that is easy to replicate. The fact is it's not easy to go undefeated in MAC play if it takes 70 years to happen. We've experienced some fantastic MAC teams, several even objectively better than this Miami team, and none of them were able to accomplish the feat. If going 18-0 in MAC play was easy we would have already achieved it under Dambrot or Groce.

[Zippy87]

13 hours ago, RoyalBlu said:

If Miami fails to be an NCAA Tournament at-large team this season, every team in the MAC should look in the mirror, then call Miami and tell them 'we're sorry.'  Folks will say they beat nobody.

 

If Miami doesn't get an at-large, Miami only has themselves to blame. They knew they had a really good team this year and still rolled with one of the worst OOC schedules in D1. 

[AkronAlumnus]

1 hour ago, kreed5120 said:

 

Yes, I'm still not penciling Miami winning out this regular season, but the pathway looks more manageable now. The last team to go undefeated in MAC conference play was Miami in 1958. Back then the conference season was only 12 games.

 

People act like Miami has created this path that is easy to replicate. The fact is it's not easy to go undefeated in MAC play if it takes 70 years to happen. We've experienced some fantastic MAC teams, several even objectively better than this Miami team, and none of them were able to accomplish the feat. If going 18-0 in MAC play was easy we would have already achieved it under Dambrot or Groce.

I see both sides.  You're right—it's very difficult to run the table (MAC play), but Akron could have done it last year.  If you replace the game at OU with a home game vs. Eastern, the Zips could have run the table too.  Now juxtapose that against Miami not having to come to Akron this year. 

Edited 2 hours ago by AkronAlumnus

[ZippyRulz]

There are 37 at-large bids in the NCAA tourney. Miami currently sits at #22 in the AP poll. If they only lose in the MAC tourney they should still be in the top 37 ; not saying they wouldn't get significantly snubbed however. As things stand now, if we meet them in Cleveland I believe they would be favored.

 

[kreed5120]

8 minutes ago, AkronAlumnus said:

I see both sides.  You're right—it's very difficult to run the table (MAC play), but Akron could have done it last year.  If you replace the game at OU with a home game vs. Eastern, the Zips could have run the table too.  Now juxtapose that against Miami not having to come to Akron this year. 

 

Why would we play 10 conference home games and 8 conference road games as you propose in your scenario?

 

OU wasn't even a good team last year. They finished #195 in Kenpom. You can't just simply state well if you eliminate all the games we lost we would be undefeated. Well no crap. The game was played and we lost. We also didn't have to play @ Miami, who was clearly the MAC's 2nd best team last season, but nobody talks about that.

 

The fact is over a long season you have slip ups. We had many last year. Milwaukee, Princeton, and Ohio were all teams that we had no business losing to, but still did. That great UB team a few years back should have beaten NIU by 20+, but lost. 

 

If Miami goes 18-0 in conference play this might be the only undefeated (in conference play) MAC team any of see in our lifetimes. If the MAC expands to 22 games that feat becomes even more challenging. No team will be able to easily replicate their run.

[Zippy87]

I think the Miami discussion can be simplified pretty easily:

 

1) They are a very good team, and winning as much as they have is very difficult to do.

2) Their run was made possible in part because of one of the easiest OOC schedules in the country and a fortunate MAC schedule (no game at Akron, only one game vs Kent State). 

 

Both of these can be true at the same time.